Resident Evil 6
by It's The Fear
Summary: Sequel to Untouched. Everything around her fell apart. Again. In a desperate attempt to escape her problems, Claire takes a job at a hospital away from home. She doesn’t know that she ran away only to stumble across an even bigger problem.
1. Veteran

**As I'm sure you're all already aware, this story is the sequel to my other story, Untouched. It is also my take on Resident Evil 6. I'd appreciate it if you came into this with an open mind, as I do not work for Capcom, therefore I have no idea how far off this story will be from the actual Resident Evil 6. This is just simply my take, or at least what I'd enjoy to watch go down.**

**This story will once again be a Claire/Leon story, but what's a romance story without a whole lot of complications and distractions along the way? (You take that in whatever way you want to)**

**There are most likely what people will consider spoilers in this story, so beware when reading if you haven't already played and beat Resident Evil 5.**

**Anyways, I hope you guys all enjoy my story. Please remember to leave a review. It's greatly appreciated.**

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Claire sat on her bed, her bedroom filled with darkness from the night that crept in through her open window. Only the lamp beside her bed illuminated her room, giving her just enough light to read the scribbles she jotted down in the open journal before her. Nightmares covered every page, night after night, since late September of 1998. She had to add pages to her journal every couple of months because the empty pages just seemed to disappear.

First, every page was dated with each passing day. She noticed that as time went on, and as the years passed, the scars she bore and the nightmares that came from them began to scatter themselves. Slowly, they were becoming scarcer, to the point where it was a few nightmares a month. She was relieved to find her nights full of restful sleep and not terrifying dreams about the undead. But still, when she found herself staring face to face with a nightmare that seemed all too real, sometimes it was just too much for even her to take. Dreams of what could have been, and how many people could have been saved danced in her subconscious. If she had been just a little bit stronger…how many people would still be alive? He would…

She quickly shook the thought away as her eyes began to scan the page before her. She shuddered at the simple words written on the paper as she suddenly found herself reliving the horrors of that particular dream.

_No matter where I turned, they were there. They were huddled under desks, waiting for me around the corner, even watching me from the rooftops. I could feel their disgusting eyes on me as they patiently waited for me to let my guard down. I don't know what happened or how I got there. All I knew was that I couldn't escape. There was no way out of the ruins that were left of the city. My heart felt really heavy, like it was sinking further and further into my chest with every passing moment. All I could see was darkness and their piercing red eyes as they lunged at me from nowhere. I thought I had escaped from this nightmare for good…but I guess I was wrong. I'm not even safe in my dreams…_

The all too familiar feeling of uneasiness swam through Claire again as she relived the dream. Flipping through more pages, she could recall every drop of sweat and every bit of terror she felt at the exact moment she awoke from each dream. She stopped at a page and let her eyes scan over her writing once again.

_I saw him. He was so close and felt so real. It was as if they never got to take his soul. It was as if he were still here. I tried to reach out and touch him, but I couldn't. I started to walk closer to him, but I couldn't do that either. Something was holding me back, and pulling him farther and father away. I cried out, screaming his name. I screamed so loud, my voice echoed around us for what seemed like hours, and my throat was even sore. I watched helplessly as he was pulled away from me, again. My heart has never felt so heavy and so broken. I can't stop crying as I write this. I've never felt more alone and useless than I do right now._

Though she wasn't crying, she could feel the ache in her heart from her entry. Over the years, though the guilt and the pain were still in her heart and on her mind, she had learned to suppress the tears. Holding those feelings in was no doubt bad, but it was easier to deal with that than letting out the emptiness she felt inside.

She grabbed a hold of her pen and flipped to a new page. There, in the silence of her bedroom, she began to write her latest entry.

_I know this journal is supposed to be used solely for my nightmares and that this entry may seem more than a little off. All this time, I was walking around believing that my nightmares were just that; my subconscious reminding me of everything that I've seen. But suddenly, my nightmares seem all too real._

_It all started with Leon coming home again. I hadn't seen him for…God, just too long. So it was great to finally see him again, and it was especially great when our relationship went off in a whole new direction. As if planned by fate, Leon and I, and Chris and Jill all ended up coupling off. I cannot express my feelings for finally being with Leon, and for my brother and Jill finally having the guts to move forward themselves._

_But I should have known that the excitement and happiness would vanish just as quickly as it appeared. Chris and Jill found the whereabouts of Spencer and decided to go and get some answers for what's happened in the past. And, of course, Chris decided to keep this fact from me and instead told me that he and Jill went on a vacation together to make up for all the time they spent being 'just friends'. I had no idea about their actual whereabouts until Chris came back completely shatter and without Jill by his side._

_That's when he sat me down and told me what had happened. Albert Wesker was still alive, and he was the reason why Jill was dead. No, not even that. Chris blamed himself for Jill's death, and I know he will continued to blame himself until his dying breath. He told me exactly what happened. Chris didn't kill Jill, she sacrificed her life so my big brother could come back to me. I know Jill; she gave her life because she knew that Chris would fight to put an end to everything. Maybe she felt she wasn't strong enough to do so herself. I don't know what she was thinking, we weren't really that close. I'm 100% sure she gave her life because she loves him. Sorry…loved him. She cared about him so much that she gave her life so he could continue his._

_I can't begin to understand the grief Chris must feel right now. I wonder if he's sleeping in his room. I can't hear him pacing anymore, so he may have actually fallen asleep tonight. I've met Chris's other girlfriends prior to Jill, and none of them have been more perfect for him than Jill was. It was as if he was created solely to be with him, and vice versa. The perfect couple. Soul mates. And it's all gone. Too many times have we had to sit by and watch lives and loved ones be taken from us. I don't know how many more times we can live through this. It's just getting too hard. Every time I look at Chris, though he tried to put a brave face on and pretend like he's fine, I can feel the sorrow and pain that he must live with everyday. I know because I remember what happened on Rockfort Island._

_I want to sit him down and tell him that, though it doesn't feel like it now, he will be fine, and he will eventually get over it. But can I really speak; when the one I lost I had known for a matter of days, while he had known Jill for years? You can in no way compare them. But it still hurts as if I had known him since my very first breath._

Claire took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. She looked inside herself and tried to find the strength to finish writing about how the world around her had shattered into a million pieces. No matter how hard she tried, she was painfully aware that some of the pieces would never be found again.

_Pretty much as soon as Chris came home and gave me the news, Leon and I completely fell apart. He knew. He knew the whole time Chris and Jill were gone. And he lied to me and kept it away from me like I wasn't strong enough to accept it. I'm so sick of people constantly looking out for me, trying to protect me from the big bad world. I'm not a baby anymore, and I just wish people would remember that. _

_Anyways, I got a job at a local hospital, but at the last minute, they needed me at another hospital that was a few hours away. They offered me more pay, and after me and Leon's argument, I needed to get away. So I did. I come back every weekend or whenever I get time off work so I can be with Chris, so I can make sure he's okay. I don't have to worry about running into Leon because he went back to Washington to work again._

_I feel terrible about the way Leon and I left things, but there's nothing I can do about that now. I've never been in such a huge fight with someone before. Chris doesn't think we handled it maturely, especially with how we both ran away from our problems. I ran to another city, and he ran away to Washington. I haven't heard from him since, and Chris knows better than to mention him around me. I don't even know if he's still alive…_

A sigh escaped Claire's red lips as she closed her journal. She tossed the book inside the drawer of her nightstand and picked up the handgun she had next to her bed. She double checked that her gun was fully loaded before setting it back down next to her lamp.

Claire pulled out a bottle of prescription pills and tossed a few into her mouth. She took a gulp of water from the bottle beside her bed as she flicked off the light and laid down, her eyes staring out at the stars that gathered in the night sky. Maybe she would actually be able to sleep tonight. Then again, knowing her body, that's usually too much to expect.


	2. Heart Stopper

Chris's house was silent as Claire made her way down the stairs. Silence in Chris's house was always a strange occurrence that Claire always found more creepy than relaxing. She suddenly remembered why it was so silent as she made her way towards the kitchen, her body craving her daily dose of caffeine. Jill was gone. So was Leon, thought not in the same sense. And Chris had never been more silent. Nor had his house.

Claire poured herself a hot cup of coffee in her favorite mug and walked over to the back door. She gazed out the clear glass, her eyes entranced on the picnic bench at the other end of the yard. She took a sip of her black coffee and listened to a bird singing beautifully on the other side as she remembered their last night altogether. She had no idea that that would be one of the last times she would ever see Jill again. There was so much more Claire had wanted to tell her. From the moment Jill and Chris had began working together in S.T.A.R.S., Claire could see how smitten her big brother was. She wanted to make sure Jill understood that there was no one better for her big brother than she was. But she already knew that, how could she not, Claire asked herself.

With one last glance, Claire turned away from the backyard and made her way up the stairs. As she approached her bedroom, she could hear her phone ringing. By the personal ring tones that she always had so much fun setting, she knew before looking at her phone that someone from the hospital was calling her.

_Great, there goes my day off. _

"Hello?" Claire said into the phone. She took a seat on the side of her bed and put her coffee down on the nightstand as she listened to the voice on the other end. "Of course I can. I'm at my brother's house a few hours away, but I'll get there as soon as I can." She hung up the moment the conversation was over and made her way to the dresser. She quickly threw off her shorts and t-shirt and slipped into her uniform. Thank God she thought ahead and always left a spare uniform at Chris's.

She grabbed her purse and headed towards Chris's closed bedroom door. She knocked on it and was greeted by silence. She knocked again and waited for a moment.

"Chris?" She glanced down at her watched and suddenly felt stupid for even assuming he would be awake. It wasn't even seven o'clock yet. If Chris was awake now, something was wrong. He never was a morning person, Claire smiled to herself.

Making her way to the kitchen once again, Claire picked up a marker and began to write on the white board that was stuck on the fridge. 'Emergency at work. Be back when I can. Have cell on me.' With that, Claire made a dash for the front door. She had no idea that Chris wouldn't get her message. He wasn't even at home. Instead, he was already at work.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Oh Claire, thank God you're here."

Claire watched a woman run towards her the moment she stepped through the automatic doors. The woman's name was Daniela and was Claire's closest friend and co-worker at the hospital. Her beautiful long raven black hair was always tied up in a loose ponytail or bun that sat on the back of her head. Her pale skin was a perfect contrast to her drastically dark hair and made her sapphire blue eyes pop. Daniela was the type of person who always had a smile spread wide across her face. But today, the effortless and comforting smile wasn't on her face. Instead, it was replaced panic.

"What's going on?" Claire asked as she walked side by side with the woman.

"We're completely understaffed. I know you wanted to be around more, you know, have more hours, so I immediately thought of you." Daniela paused for a moment before she finished speaking. "We have a problem on the 6th floor."

"What's on the 6th floor? The mental health ward?"

"A woman came in absolutely hysterical. Something about experiments. I didn't know who else to call, I know you have some experience in that department. Claire, find out what's going on. Help her."

Since Claire had begun working at the hospital and had befriended Daniela, she found herself opening up. For the first time in years, Claire felt comfortable talking about her past and everything she had been through. She had spoke briefly about her encounters with the undead, through she refrained from going too much into detail. No one needed the image of a nurse mowing down the undead with a shotgun.

_Please don't be what I think it is…_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Stop! Why won't you believe me? Why am I here? I'm not crazy! Get away from me!" The moment Claire stepped out of the elevator; she could hear the woman's frantic screams.

Following the cries for help, Claire found a woman lying on a bed, her body jerking viciously as she tried to free herself from the thick restraints that held her down. Claire came in the room as a nurse was preparing to inject the woman with a sedative.

"What's going on here?" Claire asked as she came up behind the nurse. The other woman turned around and eyed her carefully, her eyes searching for Claire's ID.

She pulled the card out of her pocket and flashed it to the other nurse as she walked towards the patient. She looked into her eyes and saw fear and desperation as her chest heaved.

"She's been screaming since she came in. I was just about to sedate her."

"Hun, what's going on?" Claire gently moved hair away from the woman's face, ignoring the flinch she received in response.

"You have to help me. I don't want to be like them, I've seen what they become!"

"Calm down. Take a deep breath and tell me everything." Claire said, her voice low and calm as she smiled.

"This is ridiculous. Move aside, Redfield, and let me take care of my patient."

"Your _patient_ is terrified of you. Would you mind leaving us alone for a moment? I can handle this."

"And just what give you the idea that you can handle this?"

Claire turned and shot the other nurse a sharp look. "I don't think you really want me to answer that question. But trust me, I can."

Not looking for a fight, the other woman let out a loud sigh and threw up her arms in defeat. She stormed out of the room and decided that, at least this way; she could take an extra break.

"She's crazy. She kept talking about how powerful having it was going to make her. Talking like she was God himself." Tears flowed like an endless river down the woman's warm cheeks as she spoke in quivers.

"Who? What was going to make her powerful? What happened? Please, tell me everything."

"She said her name was…" The woman took a deep breath as a shudder ran through her. "Ada."


	3. Bad Blood

She had never been one to question her orders. It wasn't her place to double guess her superiors. No matter what they told her to do, or who she had to take out along the way, she followed everything through until the end. Secrets were not her concern. Keeping them was.

She knew what she was to her government. A tool. She had gone from an innocent little girl to a tool that her government used whenever it suited them. Which, unfortunately, seemed to be more often than not. She was special, they told her. She had something in her blood that made her a cold blooded killer, and they intended to use that. She had something in her that could be used to shed light amongst all the darkness. She was property of the United States Government, and they planned to take full advantage of the weapon they had on their hands.

The moment she was handed over, training had become her everyday feat. They intended to turn her into a silent killing machine. They had succeeded. All of the anger and despair she had encountered as a teenager pushed her during training and missions. No one had spared her, so why should she spare those who stood between her and completing her objective?

She had lost track of how many different kinds of blood had been spilled onto her hands. And eventually, the guilty conscious and tears subsided. It didn't take long to lose whatever was left of her soul. She only had a smidgen of it left from Raccoon City, anyhow.

When most teenagers were having a meltdown from trying to decide which dress to wear to prom, she was stuck in a training facility. She wasn't taken on a mission until she became an adult. Her first kill was on her twentieth birthday. She could recall that night to this day, and she knew she would until her dying breath. She cursed her parents for having her while her salty tears stained her pillowcase. Every time she closed her eyes she could see that man's face. Up until the moment she pulled her trigger, he wasn't aware that she even existed. He reminded her of her father, or at least what she could remember of her father. His eyes went cold and lifeless as his heart failed him while he lay in a pool of his own blood. His family would never get to pay their respects to him. His body would never be buried and his soul would never truly be at peace. His death was just a notch on her belt that would be followed by many, many more.

She couldn't remember when her soul became lost to her. All she knew was that it was too far from her reach than she would have preferred. When she had her first kill without grief or guilt, she knew it was lost to her. Every time she pulled her trigger or slid the blade of her knife across fresh skin, she would assure herself that they were a threat to her country and the peace they were trying to build within it. As far as she was concerned, they were all terrorists in their own way. It was the only way to justify all the lives that were taken.

She didn't regret what she had become. It was beyond her control. With no immediate family to claim her after her parents' death, the government was quick to snatch her up. She had become accustomed to the life that she was now leading, and couldn't imagine doing anything but. Sometimes when she was alone at night, she closed her eyes and pictured what life would be like with a regular nine to five job. She'd be taking the same bus route, seeing the same faces, and typing on the same keyboard for eight hours five days a week. The mere thought of it made her gag. The fact that she woke up every morning not knowing what she would encounter in her day made it interesting and almost tolerable that her youth was taken from her the way it was.

She had no problem taking on missions, no matter how dangerous or out there they may have seemed. But this one, this one hit a little too close to home.

She had been kept up to date on all things involving Wesker and those out there who were like him. She was aware of the Kennedy report and even read it. She lost track of how long she was sitting with that file in her hands. Her clear blue eyes burned from the endless hours she spent turning page after page. His name stirred feelings in her she didn't know someone could possess. She couldn't help but wonder what he looked like now. He was so young looking back then, so innocent and naïve to the world around him. Hell, she had been too. It was a problem that both of them found themselves confronted with back then. But now, he had gone on to bigger and better things than being a messily police officer in Raccoon City. And so had she.

It wasn't long before she read the Redfield report as well. First Spain, then Africa. Whatever was coming was spreading fast. And when it hit, it was no doubt going to hit with a bang. It appeared as though the older Redfield was safe. He was safe now, and surely he was safe back when she had first heard about him. His sibling would no doubt have found that to be a big relief, especially since he was the reason she became property of the Government in the first place. But it wasn't his fault; he didn't even know she existed. No, it was _her _fault.

But _she _wasn't important right now. The sticky situation at hand was something that required far more attention that some woman who abandoned her so many years ago. Her superiors gave her a job that seemed simple enough at the time. She had no idea that years after escaping hell, she would be thrown back into it.

_She walked into a dimly lit office, the smell of tobacco smoke filling her lungs as it hit her like a brick wall. She closed the door behind her and made her way to the desk at the centre of the room, placed conveniently in front of large windows that always seemed to be covered by clean, white blinds. She could feel the man's eyes on her as she approached, though she could not see them in the darkness. A single lamp on the man's desk was all that lit the room and gave just enough light to illuminate the outline of his figure.._

_"When you first came to me, did I not tell you that you're experiences would prove to one day benefit you?" He asked her, blowing his cigarette smoke into the heavy air._

_"Yes, sir." She didn't bother to take a seat in front of his desk. She learned the hard way that you're only to take a seat if and when you were asked. Instead, she stood straight, her hands placed firmly at her side as she looked at shadow before her._

_"It's time you show me that we haven't wasted our time and money on you. There's a woman who I think is in need of a little visit." He tossed a file at her, the papers stacking up a good inch above the wooden desk. "Read that. It should have all the information you need. You're going it alone, because I know you work better by yourself. This is a matter of national security. Do not let your past interfere with the future. I want you to leave immediately, and I want her taken care of. Bring back to me whatever she was working on. You're to leave the moment your eyes read the final word."_

_"Yes, sir."_

No doubt one of her biggest jobs yet, and she had already found a way to screw it up. She cursed herself as she struggled with the handcuffs that restricted her hands. She looked around the room she was in and wasn't surprised to see it was completely empty. It looked like a basement. The brick walls looked cold and damp and were bare. The only thing in the chilly room was her, and she was handcuffed and unable to move her legs.

Footsteps were approaching; the feminine sound of heels clicking against the cement floor growing closer from the other side of the steel door. She looked down at the handcuffs around her wrists and knew what she had to do. The quickest way to get out of handcuffs was to break a single bone your hand, making it easy to slip the cuff off. It was one of the first things she was taught. _If anything happens and you find yourself in handcuffs, this is the quickest way to free yourself. Unfortunately, it is also quite possibly the most painful. But it'll be your only option between a few hours of pain or your live. _

She took in a deep breath and grabbed a hold of her left thumb. She needed her right hand to defend herself, handcuffs or not attached to it. She could live without the use of her left hand. She was about to snap her thumb out of place when the door swung open. Instinctively, she let go of her thumb and turned to look at the woman as she strolled into the room. She looked exactly the same way the reports had described her, save for the outfit.

Her hair was short, stretching past her jaw line and just hovering over her shoulders. It was raven black, no doubt much like her soul. A crooked smile spread across the woman's thin red lips, accomplished with the capture that stared back at her.

Her narrow, almond shaped eyes watched the handcuffed girl carefully as she made her way towards her, her hips swaying at every step.

"I bet you think you're pretty smart, don't you. Guess what, darling, if I know about this you can be sure others do as well. I'm not the first and I sure as hell won't be the last to find you." The handcuffed woman said, her voice firm and confident despite the state she was currently in.

"Do tell me, where did you get this name that you use?" The other woman asked, crossing her arms over her chest as she stopped in front of her prisoner.

The woman in handcuffs gritted her teeth. "It was the name my parents gave me at birth."

"No, no. See, I happen to know the name you were _really _given at birth, and it is not Elza Walker." Ada rested her hands on the arm rests the younger woman sat in. A smile spread across her thin lips as she stared into the blonde woman's eyes. "It's really good to see you again, Sherry Birkin."

The short haired woman stood up straight, her eyes still focused on the blonde as she began to turn and walk away. Sherry smiled back and tilted her head, her deep blue eyes meeting fiercely with the other woman's'. "And you, Ada Wong"

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**Sorry this chapter too so long to get up. I hope it was worth the wait.**

**Please remember to review. Every review counts and I'd really appreciate it.**


	4. Keep the Good Times Rolling

**There, I finally did it! Here is the next chapter of Resident Evil 6! It took quite some time to get it finished, I know, and I apologize for the delay. I was looking at everyone's lovely reviews last night and it inspired me to finish up this story. So thank you to everyone who left them, this chapter is dedicated to all of you guys for helping me get off my lazy butt and write this chapter.**

**Please don't forget to leave a review, as you can see, they always help. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter! Thanks for reading!**

"Put that patient in lockup. Make sure she's isolated and kept in a high security room. I want someone on her at all times and I want to be personally kept up to date with her progress every step of the way." Claire received a nod from the male nurse she spoke to, her eyes darting back and forth between him and the newest patient to the mental health ward.

Claire watched her co-worker turn away from her and head to the main desk where he started on the paperwork for the woman. This was the only way. Claire had no doubt that the woman was telling the truth about what happened to her. While the other hospital workers saw it as ludicrous lies, Claire Redfield was all too familiar with the situation on a whole.

"_I need you to remain calm and walk me through everything that happened." Claire took a seat beside the frantic woman's bed. Her voice was calm as she spoke, the soft tone settling the woman's frayed nerves. If Raccoon City had taught her one thing, it was to remain calm even when the situation isn't. It calms other people's nerves and helps everyone to think clearly, something she learned comes in handy._

_Though she was still strapped to the bed, the woman had calmed down significantly in Claire's presence. "It's still a bit fuzzy."_

_Claire flashed a smile to reassure her. She needed to know the details. "Take your time."_

_The woman narrowed her eyes. Since she had been brought into the mental health ward, she had been looked at and spoken to like a crazy person. Though, given the floor of the hospital she was on, that should have been expected. "Why are you being so nice to me? You don't think I'm crazy." It wasn't a question but a statement._

_Claire shook her head and reached for the woman's hand, giving it a quick squeeze. "No, I don't. I know this area more than people would think, trust me. But I really do need you to tell me what happened. I need to know in order to help you."_

_The woman took in a deep breath to steady herself before she began. "I don't remember much that happened before; it all seems to have been erased from my mind, almost. I remember waking up in this…place. I didn't realize what it was until I managed to escape."_

"_What was it?"_

"_An insane asylum."_

_Claire's eyebrows furrowed together. "There aren't any insane asylums around here. The closest thing is this mental health ward. Are you sure?"_

"_I'm positive. I saw the way people talked to themselves, huddled in corners and covered their ears while they screamed at the top of their lungs. I also saw them once they," the woman paused to think of the right word. "Turned."_

"_Tell me everything…"_

"_Brenda. My name's Brenda."_

_Claire smiled again. "Brenda. Please, I need to know everything. It's very important."_

"_And then you'll help me? I don't want to become like them. I can't." Brenda reached for Claire but the restraints on her body stopped her from moving her wrist. Claire reached for her hand and held it, feeling the warmth of her fingers wrapped around hers. For now, this woman was still alive._

"_I promise I will help you, Brenda. But first I need you to tell me everything."_

"_I woke up and they had me handcuffed to a wall. It was like a dungeon, you know, like the ones you'd see in horror movies. There were metal tables with straps to tie people down, like this one, and chairs that looked like electrical ones that people used to be executed in. There were bodies in jail cells, piles of bodies." Brenda stared into Claire's eyes, but Claire could tell that her mind had taken her elsewhere. "It seemed like days before someone came to see me. By the time she came, the bodies had risen and were reaching out for me through the bars. It smelt like they had been dead for weeks."_

"_Who came for you?"_

"_Her name was Ada. I remember hearing her talk to someone on the other end of the door. I think she was on the phone because when she came in I didn't see anyone else in the hallway. She came at me with a syringe. She injected me with something. It burnt as it spread through me. I could actually feel it spread through my body. And she just stood there, watching and smiling as if she was amused by it all."_

_Claire tried to hide the disgust in her voice as she spoke. This all sounded like a reoccurring nightmare, which was what her troubles with Umbrella could be called. Was she ever going to wake up from this? But she was not the victim here. The poor woman strapped to the bed in front of her was. "How did you escape?"_

"_She left me alone for what I think was a couple of days. I remember drifting in and out of consciousness." Brenda paused as her memories began to drift back to her. As she recalled them, she told the young nurse who seemed to be hanging on every word she spoke. "It was weird, because I remember my strength coming and going. At one point I had so much anger, so much rage inside of me that I was actually able to snap the cuffs that held me to the wall. I don't know how I did it, but I did."_

_Claire glanced down at Brenda's wrists and any doubt that the woman was lying was thrown out the window when she saw gashes on both wrists. The blood and cuts had dried and were already in the process of healing. By the severity of the cuts, Claire knew they would scar. How far away was the asylum for those deep wounds to already be healing?_

"_And you escaped when she came in to check on you?"_

_Brenda shook her head. "No. A guy in a lab coat came in to feed me, I think. I…I might have killed him." The shock in her voice was startling as she realized what she may have done. She looked up into Claire's eyes with tears streaming down her cheeks. "Oh my God, I did. I killed him."_

_Claire squeezed her hand to comfort her. She didn't know how much comfort it provided the terrified woman, but at this point, it was all she could do. "And how did you get here? You walked?"_

"_I…I think so, yes."_

"_And you don't remember where she held you?"_

_Brenda shook her head, disappointed in her inability to help Claire find her captor. "There were a lot of trees. It was…far away from everything else. I remember that much because it seemed to take forever before I passed a single person. No one stopped to pick me up. I mean, look at me, would you?"_

"_Was it in a forest? Or were there just a lot of trees in its surroundings?"_

_Brenda's voice lifted as it came back to her. "Yes, it was in a forest. I was scared to go through it because I thought there may be dangerous animals lurking in there. It was very thick, I could barely see because the branches blocked out the moonlight."_

"_Were there other people there? Besides you and this woman and the…bodies that rose from the dead, were there any other people there?"_

"_I was alone. I remember that distinctively because I remember being so scared, not having anyone around me to reassure me it was going to be okay." Tears blurred her vision as they began to appear in her eyes again. "My God, I'm going to turn into one of them, I just know it. Please, please don't let me. I've seen what they do. Please, kill me now." Brenda tightened her grip on Claire's wrists as she begged for the nurse to end her life before she became a threat._

"_I'm going to do what I can to find that woman. I will find out what she did to you and I will help you. I just need you to hang in there and wait for me to come back. Can you do that?"_

"_Do you promise? Promise me you'll help me."_

_Another thing Raccoon City taught Claire was that you should never promise anyone anything. Fate has a tendency to get in the way and make you look like a terrible person when you make promises that you are unable to keep. Hearts are broken and hope will never be restored when you promise someone something and fail on your end. But to put the woman's mind at ease, Claire smiled again. _

"_I promise."_

Claire slammed her car door shut and buried her face in her shaky hands. What the hell was going on here? Was this woman serious? Ada? The one and only Ada Wong? The _bitch _in the skanky red dress was back? The very woman who toyed with Leon's feelings in Raccoon City and then once more in Spain had reared her ugly head yet again.

A frustrated groan escaped through Claire's lips as her hands found the steering wheel. She gripped it tightly as she felt the anger of the whole situation surge through her body.

Ada Wong was back and was playing God. What else was new with these people? Give them a syringe with some strange, screwed up virus, and for some reason they all wanted to play God.

Too bad for Ada, because her desire to play God and toy with people's lives was coming to an abrupt end. Claire would see to that personally. For messing with Leon, for involving herself with Wesker, the one part of Chris's past that he could never really let go. For involving innocent people and destroying their lives, and for crossing the path of Claire Redfield. Ada would pay for all that and _so_ much more.

Claire turned her key in the ignition of her car and began to pull out of her parking space. As she waited for the light to change down the block, she muttered under her breath the thought that had consumed her mind since she first spoke to Brenda.

"You've played with your last virus, bitch."


	5. It Takes Two to Tango

**Sorry this chapter took so long to write. I hope everyone enjoys it. Thanks a lot for all the encouraging reviews and I look forward to reading more of your feedback! Enjoy!**

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Leon couldn't help but curse under his breath. He rubbed his tired eyes with the palm of his hand, trying desperately to wake himself from this never ending nightmare. Was this every going to be over? Couldn't someone else pick up the fight from where he left off?

_Would you really want someone else to go through all the shit you've been through? To have endless nightmares and paranoia? You were chosen for this life for a reason. You've survived this far to put an end to it all. Just a little bit further and this will all be over._

But would it all ever truly be over? It seemed the minute one bad guy got knocked down, two more popped up in his place. People with dementia, people who thought they could play with people's lives as though they were God. Leon Kennedy was no fool. He knew that while there was darkness in the heart of man, there would always be someone to stand the ground of the evil before them. It seemed as though those who fought for the good in the world had fewer and fewer soldiers with each passing day. While those who stood against them seemed to only be gaining in numbers.

Leon remained silent as he picked up his coffee, taking a sip of the warm liquid. It burnt his tongue, but he didn't care. His mind was preoccupied with racing thoughts as his eyes stared blankly ahead.

If he hadn't gone to Raccoon City for his first day on the force, where would he be right now? Working in another town, doing the same dead end shifts that bored him out of his mind to the brink of insanity? Or would he be living a carefree life with friends who could sleep through the night without a gun on their nightstand? What if he hadn't slept in on his first day and had gotten into town on time? Would he be among the ones who rose from the dead?

_No, don't think like that._

He couldn't afford to. The first few weeks after the fall of Raccoon City, all he did was go over everything detail and think, "what if?" What if he hadn't taken the job at all? How normal of a life would he be leading right now? Would he finally have the family he always wanted? Or would he have fallen in the line of duty somewhere else?

There were too many possibilities stemming from that one nightmare that seemed to constantly plague his mind. Of all the evil and darkness that came out of Raccoon City, Leon saw the good that came out of it as well. It was harder to see at times, but it was still there. And it wasn't something he shouldn't take for granted, either.

Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine both had the same strong beliefs and determination Leon had. They had all bonded over it, him and Chris especially. All three of the Raccoon City survivors were determined to put an end to the nightmare Umbrella had unleashed upon the world. It took them a while to discover that their thoughts of revenge had completely taken over their lives. _'It makes us all the more determined to put an end to it all,'_ Chris used to say.

Over the years, he and Chris had gotten into their fair share of arguments. All of them seemingly revolving around Chris's little sister. Chris was determined to keep Claire out of all things related to Umbrella and those who came after them. He still carried the guilt of Claire stumbling into an infected Raccoon City, and he wanted to do anything and everything to keep her from getting more involved.

But she was already involved. As much as Chris didn't want to see it that way, Claire was just as involved as the rest of them. She lost people she cared about throughout her encounters with Umbrella, and she still carries the scars of it with her to this day. They all do.

But Chris could never see past it. He had wanted more for his little sister. He wanted her to have everything he never had the chance to have. A normal life, a family. Chris lost his carefree early adult years when his parents passed and he had a terrified, grief stricken little sister to care for and raise. Chris gave up years of his life that should have been spent enjoying with all his friends to work odd jobs just to keep a roof over their head and food on their table. And he had given the rest of it up, including being beside his sister, to join the air force to bring home more money. It was the first step he had unknowingly taken that would eventually lead him to Umbrella's doorstep years later.

All the horrors Leon had seen couldn't make him regret Raccoon City. Sure, sometimes he wished that he could go back in time and avoid it altogether. Or maybe go back and warn all the citizens to abandon the town that would succumb to the undead. _Yeah, like anyone would believe that._

But if he never went to Raccoon City, he never would have met Claire. She was his partner in the horror that haunted them, his best friend, and the strong spirited woman who had just recently become his lover. Of course, until he had screwed it all up.

Leon hadn't realized just how much that fiery little redhead had meant to him until they had opened themselves up to each other.

Whenever Claire needed him, he was there for her, no questions asked. He couldn't be there for her when she reached out to him from Rockfort Island, but the moment she got back, he made sure he was there. All those sleepless nights she had spent at his place, cradled in his arms as she cried about the lives she couldn't save. It was painful to see her in such a dark place again. But she had overcome it, as she always did.

Their friendship should have grown stronger, but with each passing day, it seemed as though it was slowly being torn apart. Both of them had cared for another person they had both lost throughout the fight. A part of their hearts had died when each person had.

The guilt had changed their personalities immensely. They became moody and snapped at each other more often than they ever had.

At the time, Leon couldn't understand why the mention of Steve used to make his blood boil. Chris used to tease him and say he was jealous of the fallen man. But Leon was never jealous. Never in his had he been jealous, and he had refused to think he was suddenly. Well, he was never jealous of another man, at least. Looking back now, he felt like smacking himself in the face.

He had cared about Claire all along; he was just too stupid to admit it. After years of standing by her side as a friend, they had managed to move forward in their relationship. And he had ruined it. Just like he ruined everything else.

He knew Chris and Jill weren't going on a vacation together. He knew exactly where they were going. But he had promised his best friend that he would keep his mouth shut and not tell Claire exactly what was going on. _'To protect her'_, Chris had said. Both men cared about Claire to the point that they would give their lives if it meant hers would be spared. So, of course, Leon agreed to keep Claire in the dark about Chris and Jill's mission. He hadn't expected it to completely blow up in his face the way it did.

Leon shook the thoughts of his failure to the back of his mind. He had more important things to think about right now.

_"I'm sorry to be the one to bring this up, Leon. But it seems as though Ada Wong is back and doing what she does best."_

_Leon sat in silence as he listened to his superior brief him. His mouth tensed, every muscle in his body stiffened at the mention of her name. He knew exactly what she was up to. Damnit, why was she still doing this?_

_"We have word that she's been experimenting on people. We don't know much about the virus that she's using, but we have reason to believe that it is the same one you encountered in Spain. There's been talk that this particular virus has been infused with another one, as well. Though there is nothing to either confirm or deny that rumor."_

_"Why are you telling me all this?" They normally didn't disclose matters as important as this to him. Not unless they were planning on sending him to investigate._

_Leon liked to think of himself as a vital part of the government's agents, but when it came down to it, he wasn't anywhere close to being as high up as he would like. So if they were telling him something like this, they definitely were thinking of sending him to get more information. Or to put a stop to her once and for all._

"_We're going to send you to check it out. We can't afford to have another incident like the rest. The sooner we put an end to it, the better. Of all our agents, we understand that you're best suited for this job. You have experience both with viral outbreaks as well as Ada." The older man handed Leon a file before continuing. "All the information we have at the present time is in there. Once you've read everything, destroy it. A car will pick you up first thing in the morning. In the time in between, we expect you to prepare yourself for the worst. You've encountered it all before, you know what to expect."_

_Leon flipped through the files, his eyes taking everything in. How stupid he had been to think she would leave this all behind her. She had been there for him briefly throughout Spain, and for a few moments, he actually thought she might change. She would realize all the heartache and death she was causing and would smarten up._

_But Ada was just like the rest of them. She would never leave it alone. Like Leon, who would never stop fighting against the darkness and evil in the world, Ada Wong would always be there to stand against him, and fight against the light and good that was left._

Leon's cell phone rang, snapping him out of his thoughts with a jolt. He reached for it and answered the call, putting it to his ear as he cleared his dry throat.

"Kennedy."

"Your car is downstairs."

"I'll be right down."

He hung up and slid his cell phone into his pants pocket. Leon grabbed a hold of his belt and slid it around his waist. His holster strapped closely to his hip, a sheath for a small dagger on the opposite side. Leon threw his jacket over his broad shoulders and made his way to the front door, not bothering to empty his coffee into the sink or even clean up his dinning room table.

Jill had fallen in her and Chris's brief encounter with Wesker. Chris was currently in Africa on assignment for the B.S.A.A. And Claire was finally leading a normal life, working as a nurse in a busy city hospital.

Leon would not let Jill's death be in vain. He would not let Chris's suffering go on any longer. And he would make sure Claire's life remained as normal as possible. For the sake of his friends and all that was lost between the four of them, Leon Kennedy would put an end to Ada's reign. He would see to that personally.


End file.
